Archon Fighter
The Archon was an air and space superiority starfighter developed in secret by the Altarin'Dakor Warlord Strife. It was the most advanced starfighter ever developed by the Altarin'Dakor, utilizing a unique system to create a kind of virtual mind-meld between pilot and machine. A force of mostly Force-sensitive pilots made these fighters even more effective, and almost unstoppable in normal combat. The pilot was most famously piloted by Imperial ace Maarek Stele. Development The Archon was developed by Strife during the initial invasion of the galaxy by the Altarin'Dakor. By the time of the first Battle of Mizar, the Warlord felt it was ready for its final series of tests. Disguising himself as "Victor", an arms developer and third party to the conflict, he convinced Maarek Stele to fly the prototype into actual combat against other Altarin'Dakor forces. During actual flight, the cockpit of the fighter would turn completely opaque, and even the pilot's helmet would lose all its transparency. Instead, the pilot would connect to the fighter through implants in the back of the skull into what was known as the Archon System. While connected, the pilot would lose the sense of his or her own body; rather, the wings would 'feel' like hands, the thrust vectoring 'felt' like legs, and the pilot would 'see' through the integrated camera system placed throughout the fighter's skin. After this final test, Stele returned to the New Imperium, while Strife began mass-producing the starfighter. He also trained an elite cabal of Jedicon pilots for the craft. However, to the Warlord's surprise, none of the other fighter pilots were able to match Stele's natural affinity for the Archon System. He then seized on an opportunity to recruit a disillusioned Maarek Stele after the Battle of Varnus, convincing him to help lead an elite wing of Archons his was against the Warlord Akargan. After Akargan's defeat, thanks in part to the dominant role of the Archon in the battle arena, Maarek continued to fly the Archon for Strife against other Altarin'Dakor Shok'Thola. The craft was flown, and continued to dominate, all the way up until the final confrontation at the Galactic Gate against the forces of Altima, the true leader of the Altarin'Dakor. Armament The Archon was equipped with up to 5 Xyrilan-class beam weapons, which were a more advanced type of beam than the type most Altarin'Dakor craft (from fighters to Titans) used. These beams were of much higher energy, making them more capable of slicing through objects rather than melting through them more slowly. In addition, the Archon sported two turret-swiveling mass driver guns, which were capable of firing along an alternative angle to the ship's flight path. The slugs fired were shield-penetrating, and they fired up to several hundred rounds per minute, making them just as deadly as the beam weapons. Thanks to the Archon System, the pilot could fire all of its weapons simultaneously at multiple targets, making this the deadliest starfighter in the zone of battle. The Archon also had twin shockwave missile launch tubes, which carried 10 warheads each. The fighter had comparably strong shielding, but its true defense was its armor - an experimental self-healing composite which was capable of self-sealing after incurring damage. Once returned from a mission, the Archon could then be repaired completely without the need for replacement paneling; it merely needed to be 'fed' special enzymes and materials in order to 'grow' itself back. Highly maneuverable, capable of both hyperspace and ultraspace flight, and with its heavy armament controlled by the Archon System, this superfighter reigned as the dominant force in starfighter combat.